Aquatic floater



June 13, 1967 B. F. SCHULZ, JR 3,32

AQUATIC FLOATER Filed Oct. 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BEN F SCHULZ JR.

INVENTOR.

June 13, 1967 B. F. SCHULZ, JR

AQUATIC FLOATER 2 Sheets-$heet 2,

' Filed Oct. 22, 1965 INVENTOR. BEN E SCHULZ JR.

3,324,488 AQUATEC FLOATER Ben E. Schulz, .lr., 621 Staley Bldg, Wichita Falls, Tex. Filed Oct. 22, 11.965, Ser. No. 500,538 7 Claims. (Cl. 9-1) This invention relates to aquatic floaters and more particularly to floaters which are motor propelled, such as by an electric motor or a small internal combustion engme.

Various powered aquatic floaters have been proposed heretofore, but these for the most part, had to be paddled by an oar or propelled by the movement of the legs, which was quite tiring.

The present invention is so constructed that an occupant, dressed in wading boots, wading trousers, bathing suit or the like, is able to depend the legs from the lower side of the aquatic floater and may thereby be able to maneuver the floater in any direction with the greatest of ease. It is preferable to have the floater so constructed that the operator may be free to fish, hunt, or to perform any other operations on the surface of the water.

An object of this invention is to provide an aquatic floater which will, at all times, readily and safely support an occupant for movement about on the surface of the water with a minimum of effort.

Another object of the invention is to provide an aquatic floater which is buoyant to hold up the occupant, and which floater is not deflatable or sinkable by the weight which it is designed to carry.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an aquatic, motor powered floater, the shell of which may be readily molded from rubber, plastic or the like, to receive an expansible, buoyant foam material within the cavity thereof, which shell is so constructed as to seal the expansible, buoyant material within the shell, when the material is fully expanded.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an aquatic floater which is securely attached to a rigid frame so as to withstand rough usage.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a floater with an outstanding neck portion to which a motor may be readily secured.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a m-oldable, plastic shell in two sections, which sections may be telescoped together to form a substantially watertight chamber.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a substantially annular aquatic floater with an outwardly extending neck portion, having an upstanding member on the outer end thereof onto which to clamp a propelling motor.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an aquatic floater which utilizes an electric motor or the like, and which has recesses formed within the upper portion thereof to receive a battery and other articles needed for use while floating on the surface of the water.

With these objects in mind and others which will become manifest as the description proceeds, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which like CAD reference characters designate like parts in the several views thereof, in which;

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the floater, with the occupant seated therein, being shown in dashed outline and the water level being shown in dashed outline;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 5, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows and showing the motor in full outline, and with the battery in dashed outline;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the same line as FIG. 2, but showing only the sectional plastic shell with the portions of the shell being shown in exploded relation;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the aquatic floater;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the aquatic floater, showing a storage battery therein; and an electric motor propelling mechanism associated therewith; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front elevational view of the aquatic floater.

With more detailed reference to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the water level in which the aquatic, power driven floater 2 is located. An occupant 4 is shown, in dashed outline, to be seated within the power driven aquatic floater 2 to show the seated relation therein. The floater 2 has an upper plastic shell portion 3 and a lower plastic portion 3a which telescope together, as will best be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, by a joint 3b and 30 when a buoyant plastic foam filler 5a is expanded into the casing 3 to fill the voids therein.

A detachable motor assembly generally designated by the numeral 6 is shown attached to a motor mounting board or transom 8, which in the present instance is shown to have an electric motor 10, which motor has a propeller 12 mounted thereon. The motor has a tubular member 14 extending upward therefrom which passes through a support bearing 16, which tubular member has a set collar 18 on the upper end thereof, to which set collar is attached an outwardly extending handle 20 having a hand-grip 22 thereon. The handle 20 serves as a guiding means to direct the axis of motor 10 in the direction in which the powered aquatic floater is to be moved under power, as the propeller, when rotated, will normally move the powered aquatic floater, unless the propeller 12 is reversed or the handle 20 moved through substantially 180 degrees of movement.

The present power driven, aquatic floater has a plurality of recesses 24 on the forward side thereof to receive articles for use, such as ammunition, fishing tackle and the like. A recess 26 is provided in the rear portion of the floater, which receives a battery 28 therein. The recesses 24 each have hingably mounted doors 25 thereon. The recess 26 has a cover 27 thereon, as will best be seen in FIGS. 2 and 5.

An electrical conduit 30 extends from a point adjacent the battery 23 to a terminal 32 immediately rearward of motor assembly 6. Electrical conduits 34 and 36 lead from the battery 28 and connect with terminals 32 and 33, respectively. Electrical conduits 38 and 40 extend from terminals 32 and 33 to an oil and on switch 42, which is preferably positioned on set collar 18 to enable the electric motor It to be readily turned on to rotate propeller 3 12 to propel the power driven, aquatic floater through the water.

The shell portions 3 and 3a are substantially annular in form and have a seat portion 44 therein near the lower side thereof. The seat portion 44 is contoured to complementally receive a portion of the body therein so the legs may append through openings 46 in the lower side thereof. A ring-like tubular frame 48 surrounds the outer diameter of the chamber within the shell 3 to lend rigidity to the plastic shell 3. At the forward end of shell 3, tubular members 50 extend forwardly and are secured to a plate 52 as by welding, by bolts, or the like. An upright member or transom 8, such as a board, may be secured to plate 52 in any conventional manner. The upstanding board 8 and plate 52 serve as a mounting for bracket 56 of motor assembly 6, which mounting bracket has winged thumb bolts 58 thereon to bindingly engage the mounting bracket 56 on plate 52 and board 8 so as to support the motor assembly 6 in depending relation below the water line 1.

The electrical conductors 38 and 40 are of suflicient looseness to enable the handle 20 to be readily maneuvered by the occupant 4. It is preferable to have the plate 52 and board 8 braced by braces 51 and 53, which extend downward and through shell 3 and connect with upstanding braces 53a within shell 3. The cavity may be filled with a low density, buoyant material, such as Styrofoam, expanded polyurethane or various other closed cell, light weight plastics of a density which approaches the density of or is of lighter density than cork, or the annular cavity 5 may be filled with cork, or with other non-absorbent, buoyant material.

It is preferable to mold the shells 3 and 3a so these portions will telescope together, whereupon, the shell 3 may be placed in a mold, then the expansible material and a catalyst may be placed within the cavity 5, and the mold closed while the catalytic action is taking place, whereupon, the foam may be expanded to fill the entire cavity 5 and to surround the tubular members 48 and 53, and with a portion of the foam material extending outwardly from the cavity 5 into a mold shape which is complementary to the contour of annular lower shell portion 3a. Whereupon, when the foam has fully expanded and the catalytic action has ceased, the portions of the shell 3, containing the expanded Styrofoam or other buoyant material 5a, as will be seen in FIG. 2, are interengaged. The interengaging top portion of shell 3 and bottom portion 3a may then be coated with a solvent or cement, and the lower portion telescoped in tongue and groove relation with the top portion 3 and held in this position, as by a press, until the cement or solvent has hardened, or until no further solvent action takes place, whereupon the press may be removed. Then, the plate 52 is mounted on the outer end of tubular member 50 and brace member 51, whereupon, the upstanding board 8 may be fixedly secured to the plate 52, preparatory to bolting the motor assembly 6 in place by thumb screws 58.

Operation To operate the power driven aquatic floater 2, with the motor assembly 6 in place, and with the source of power, such as battery 28 in place and connected to electrical conductors 34 and 36, which in turn are connected to terminals 32 and 33, which conductors are connected through switch 42 to the electrical motor 10, whereupon by moving handle 20 in the desired direction the power driven aquatic floater 2 may be driven and guided in any desired direction. The electrical conductors 38 and 40 are preferably of the self-coiling, cord type so that the slack will be automatically taken up as the handle 20 is moved from side to side, or even as it is moved through 180 degrees or more of arcuate movement.

4 Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A power driven floater, which floater comprises;

(a) a substantially closed, hollow annular shell,

(1) a rigid reinforcing member wholly within said annular shell in contact relation with a portion thereof,

(2) a neck portion extending outward from a side of said annular shell and being substantially perpendicular to the axis thereof, which neck interconnects with said rigid reinforcing member within said annular shell,

(3) an upright transom member secured to said outwardly extending neck portion to receive a motor assembly thereon, which motor assembly mounts a propeller,

(b) a closed cell, expansible, buoyant plastic material,

which plastic material is expanded, by catalytic action, within said hollow shell to fill the void therein and to surround said rigid reinforcing member to secure said reinforcing member in fixed relation within said shell,

(0) said annular shell having a contoured portion within the diameter thereof to form a seat,

(1) said annular shell, which has a seat formed therein, having at least one opening within the inner diameter of said shell and the contoured portion which forms the seat, through which opening at least one leg of an occupant may depend.

2. A power driven floater, which floater comprises;

(a) a substantially closed, hollow, annular shell,

(1) an annular, rigid reinforcing member wholly within said closed annular shell and being in contact relation with the inner portion of said shell throughout the circumference thereof,

(2) a neck portion on a side of said shell and extending outward therefrom perpendicular to the axis thereof,

(3) at least a pair of spaced apart, outwardly extending reinforcing members within said outwardly extending neck portion and being interconnected with said annular, rigid reinforcing member within said shell,

(i) an upright transom member extending between a pair of said spaced apart, outwardly extending reinforcing members to receive a motor assembly thereon, which motor assembly mounts a propeller,

(b) a closed cell, expansible, buoyant plastic material, expanded by catalytic action, Within said hollow shell to fill the void therein and to surround said annular, rigid reinforcing member to secure said member in fixed relation with said shell,

(c) said annular shell having a contoured portion within the diameter thereof to form a seat,

( 1) said annular shell, which has a seat formed therein, having at least one opening formed between the inner diameter thereof and the contoured portion which forms the seat, through which opening at least one leg of an occupant may extend.

3. A power driven floater as defined in claim 1', wherein (a) said annular shell comprises interengaging upper and lower sections,

(1) cement means are provided whereby the upper and lower sections of said shell are bonded together in sealed relation.

4. A power driven floater, as defined in claim 2; wherein (a) an electric motor assembly is mounted on said upright transom member,

(1) a propeller is connected in operative relation with said electric motor assembly,

5 6 (2) the source of electricity for said motor is a 7. A power driven floater as defined in claim 1; wherein, battery, which battery is positioned diametrical- (a) said expansible, buoyant plastic material is of the ly opposite said electric motor assembly. 5. A power driven floater as defined in claim 4; wherein (a) said annular shell has at least one recess formed 5 References Cited therein, UNITED STATES PATENTS polyurethane group.

( 1) at least One said recess being diametrically opposite said motor assembly and being adapted 2 5 5 to receive said battery therein. 2'894'270 7/1959 X 6. A motor driven floater as defined in claim 2; wherein 10 3 3 3 OS (a) said annular, rigid reinforcing member within said 8 19 Klmura 9-310 closed annular shell is a tubular metal reinforcing MILTON BUCHLER Primary Examiner member.

T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A POWER DRIVEN FLOATER, WHICH FLOATER COMPRISES; (A) A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED, HOLLOW ANNULAR SHELL, (1) A RIGID REINFORCING MEMBER WHOLLY WITHIN SAID ANNULAR SHELL IN CONTACT RELATION WITH A PORTION THEREOF, (2) A NECK PORTION EXTENDING OUTWARD FROM A SIDE OF SAID ANNULAR SHELL AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS THEREOF, WHICH NECK INTERCONNECTS WITH SAID RIGID REINFORCING MEMBER WITHIN SAID ANNULAR SHELL, (3) AN UPRIGHT TRANSOM MEMBER SECURED TO SAID OUTWARDLY EXTENDING NECK PORTION TO RECEIVE A MOTOR ASSEMBLY THEREON, WHICH MOTOR ASSEMBLY MOUNTS A PROPELLER, (B) A CLOSED CELL, EXPANSIBLE, BUOYANT PLASTIC MATERIAL, WHICH PLASTIC MATERIAL IS EXPANDED, BY CATALYTIC ACTION, WITHIN SAID HOLLOW SHELL TO FILL THE VOID THEREIN AND TO SURROUND SAID RIGID REINFORCING MEMBER TO SECURE SAID REINFORCING MEMBER IN FIXED RELATION WITHIN SAID SHELL, (C) SAID ANNULAR SHELL HAVING A CONTOURED PORTION WITHIN THE DIAMETER THEREOF TO FORM A SEAT, (1) SAID ANNULAR SHELL, WHICH HAS A SEAT FORMED THEREIN, HAVING AT LEAST ONE OPENING WITHIN THE INNER DIAMETER OF SAID SHELL AND THE CONTOURED PORTION WHICH FORMS THE SEAT, THROUGH WHICH OPENING AT LEAST ONE LEG OF AN OCCUPANT MAY DEPEND. 